


The Remorseful Reaper

by electrictirade



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I don't know, Original Character(s), Villains, are they good?, galra - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-10-29 03:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10845435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electrictirade/pseuds/electrictirade
Summary: After the battle at Zarkon's Command, Team Voltron is left scrambling in the wake of Shiro's disappearance. But things are not about to get better for them. With Zarkon's injuries, Lotor has been recalled. He did not come back alone. A ruthless hunter has returned along with the Prince and has their orders. To seek out and destroy the Paladins.





	1. Prologue: From Deep Space

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This'll be my debut for this site since I love Voltron so much. I really wanted to make an adversary against them so it'll be a bit bumpy but bear with me! Any and all feedback at this point would be great.
> 
> Disclaimer: Voltron: Legendary Defender belongs to Dreamworks. I just added an OC. Also, the plot may change and develop as the show progresses!

                                                        

 

 

                The ship was dark. Cramped. The walls were familiar. Steady under his hands, the hum of the engines through the metal. It was hot in his armor, sweat dripping down his spine, disappearing into dark cloth. He ignored it.

                He watched.

                His eyes were sharp. The purple glow was softer down here, the ship conserving power. But still he could pick out the unmistakable movements of an unsheathed weapon. The glint of light across metal. The way the intruder turned towards the hallway, shoulders tense and sharp.

                He followed.

                The intruder was not quiet; not like he was. He shifted with the darkness, watching the intruders shadow in the dim light. They were making their way up through the bowels of the ship. He knew where they were going.

                He waited.

                They made their way further, ducking out of way of sentinels patrolling and their droid companions. He trailed behind. Only watching. Only following. He had orders. They stopped outside of a large door, larger than the rest in the hallway. They finally glanced behind them and he ducked behind a girder. He waited until he heard the sound of the door open.

                “Ah, Versan. I had hoped it would be you.”

                The voice still irritated him. Even after all this time, trapped in dark space, made to serve under this selfish prince. It chafed still – a fetid waste of talents. Nevertheless, he moved forward, slipping through the door before it closed with an ominous sound.

                “We’ve been trapped out here for MONTHS. I came to serve Emperor Zarkon and not your foolish whims!” The intruder demanded. His name was Versan, a Galra who joined them a few months back. Apparently he didn’t enjoy the demands of their distant Prince.

                Neither did he.

                “A pity you feel that way. Nero.” The voice turned on him and he saw the movement as a purple, gauntleted hand waved dismissively in his direction.

                He still obeyed.

 Before the Galra rogue could attack Lotor, Nero darted forward. All Galra were trained in combat and Versan was a head taller at least and heavier. But Versan was not Nero. He slammed his elbow into Versan’s wrist and the Galra recoiled but did not let go of his weapon. Stronger than others.

                “The infamous Reaper under the heel of this petulant prince! You should be ashamed!” Versan roared, swinging low. Nero dropped to the ground. The weapon soared overhead and came back with a fury. Nero reached up and grabbed the weapon. The screech of metal scraping against metal rang out as Nero closed his hand around the blade.

                A tingle of pain, nothing more.

                “Victory or death.” Versan snarled and pulled out a dagger he’d been hiding around his back. Nero pulled the sword, forcing Versan to twist with him as he leaned out of strike range. With a wrench, Nero yanked Versan down and slammed his knee into the bottom of the Galra’s chin.

                He fell hard. Nero kicked the weapons away in contempt as the Galra looked up at him in a daze.

                **“Victory or death.”** His voice sounded distorted through his helmet, deeper and more mechanical. The fury on the face of the Galra at his feet slowly shifted. Versan jerked away, almost imperceptibly. There was fear in his dazed look now.

                “Get rid of this fool would you Nero?” Lotor’s voice was smooth and noticeably bored as he turned back towards his… company.

                **“Understood.”**

                “No wait, you serve the Emperor-!”

                His pleas fell on deaf ears. Versan was only quiet when he was met with empty space, the words muffled by his helmet. He wouldn’t survive the night.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Nero was sitting in his cramped room when the messenger found him. It was sparsely militaristic, even by Galra standards. With his rank, he could have asked for anything. But unlike some, Nero knew that even believing he deserved more was a sure route to self-destruction. The cot was hard and unyielding. A small stand in one corner where his weapon leaned.

                Not even a window.

                Galra ships did not have windows. Not for soldiers. It encouraged too much weakness.

                Too many ideas. Too easy to entertain thoughts of something else.

                The messenger knocked. This one had served with him before.

                “Nero, Prince Lotor commands you to the bridge.”

                Nero examined his helmet, watching his reflection in the polished visage, the Galra crest glowing eerily on the black glass. He knew what Lotor wanted to share with him. Prince Lotor didn’t know it but Nero had been reporting directly to Zarkon, and more recently, Haggar of his exploits. Folly and aimless attacks, mostly, but even the Prince was not safe from Zarkons’ gaze, ever wary of traitors. Haggar had contacted him recently for a last report. Nero knew Lotor was being summoned to Command, as was he.

                _‘We will need your talents Reaper as well. Voltron grows ever stronger. Prove to the universe that even Voltrons’ strength is no match for ours. You will report directly to me upon your return. There is much we must do.’_

Haggar’s voice still haunted him. He knew his place. Nero slid the helmet over his head, listening to the locks hiss as it slid into place.

                **“Tell Lotor that I am on my way.”**

The messenger left in a hurry. Many of the others on the ship never stuck around him longer than necessary. An understandable reaction. He picked up the long, sleek black staff and clipped it softly to his back, the weight comfortable. When he was ready, Nero left, his gait long and unhurried. Prince Lotor had long since grown accustomed to his behaviors. As long as Nero did his job, his lateness was always excused.

                When he did arrive, the bridge was in a flurry. His presence actually went unnoticed, an uncommon occurrence. Nero made it to Lotor at the head, mostly unhindered. He silently took his spot at the Princes’ shoulder. The ship was in full commotion now – their days of raiding over. They were being recalled at long last. A shiver settled in Nero’s spine and he did his best to ignore it. Nero had not enjoyed his time with Lotor – the man was a notorious sadist. He enjoyed watching the pain of others. Constantly beating crewmembers into the ground in duels and flaunting his power were his frequent pastimes. Nero, despite his reputation, was also subject to this. He fared better than most but despite the Princes’ other pastimes, the man was horrifyingly strong.

                Yet Haggar and Zarkon calling him back bothered him even more. The shift in power was not a good thing particularly when Haggar and the Prince were not on good terms.

And it was weakness to worry about such fickle things.

                “Finally my father has seen sense.” Lotor said, a near savage gleam in his eyes. He rested his hands on the rail in front of him. It was a pose that belaying confidence but hid anger. Nero didn’t care to correct him that it was not Zarkon but Haggar who had summoned them.

                **“It would appear so.”**

“We’re ready to make way Prince Lotor!” A crewman saluted from below.

                Nero tilted his head towards the stars as Lotor shouted out his orders. Purpose was out there somewhere, a new mission. New power. New strength.

               Yet… he saw only darkness.

 

 

* * *

 

 

               

                Fighting. Running. His friends were shouting out to him. What was happening? Shiro couldn’t quite remember. They had been fighting. Who had been fighting? He had been. He remembered purple halls. Running. A sharp pain in his arm. He grimaced instinctively, grabbing his arm and feeling cold metal. Metal. Under his fingertips. They took his arm. Who did?

                The Galra.

                Zarkon.

                Shiro felt air rush into his lungs in a deep gasp. It felt…too cold. It shocked his lungs and jerked him into thought. They had been fighting Zarkon. He… The Black Lion. The Black Lion had sided with him and pulled the bayard from Zarkon’s hands. Shiro could barely remember what had transpired in that moment – it had happened so fast. Zarkon was charging them again, the dark… horrible magic. He shivered. Shiro remembered the touch of the witch too well. Like spending too long under too many g-forces, his consciousness fading out at the edges, air pressed out of his lungs.

                Like life being squeezed from his body.

                A jolt of panic ran through him and Shiro gulped in cool air, eyes flying open. For a moment, he couldn’t register what he was seeing. It looked… and felt… like flying. The foggy confusion that had haunted him since he regained consciousness started to filter away. As he righted himself in the weird not-quite-space, recognition came to him.

                This was where he had fought Zarkon for control of the Black Lion. Why was he here? Did the Black Lion bring him here?

                “Hello?” His voice echoed in the emptiness as his feet touched what was ground. The sound dissipated after a moment or two as he turned around, trying to make sense of what happened. He got the bayard. They fought Zarkon in his more powerful suit – a replica of Voltron. He used the bayard for the first time and it turned Voltrons’ sword into fire.

                Then what?

                A low rumbling growl interrupted him and Shiro whipped around, ready to fight. A relived sigh left him when he saw the familiar massive structure of the Black Lion looming over him, looking ghostly in this place. Its eyes glinted in the half-light, the sight strangely comforting.

                “There you are. What happened?”

                The Black Lion seemed to stare for a long moment and Shiro got the distinct impression it was looking through him. Then it turned and started to walk away with a rumble. He got the idea. It wanted him to follow. Shiro gathered himself and leapt up after it as the Lion walked too quietly into the distance.

                They both vanished into mist.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Zarkons’ ship was a disaster. It was really the only thing that Nero could process. Thousands of drones hovered around the outside edges – welding, hefting, beating like silver backed insects. Large holes in the hull looked stark against the red star cluster, blackened from assault.  They formed a pattern to Neros’ eyes, one he knew well. Engines. Bridge. Weapons. Core. Voltron had not aimed to destroy in one fell swoop. They had purposely meant to disable. A clever strategy. Though it meant they were clearly not capable enough to face Zarkon at his might. Instead they had snuck in with an assassin’s aim.

                Almost achieved that goal. But failed. Just like all the rest.

                Their ship was given leave to dock and Lotor dismissed him. Nero tapped a fist to his breastplate and did as he was bid. He couldn’t say he wasn’t relived to leave the princes’ company. Months in space being used as a personal training dummy had been enough. Perhaps now he would have more purpose than a glorified watcher. Nero moved down towards the airlock and kept to himself. Those that noticed he was there moved out of the way. The airlock slid open easily and he was met by several galra and sentries wearing the battle armor of Zarkon’s command. Haggars, he supposed, now that Zarkons’ injuries kept him under. The commander he recognized. A loyal one, with a scar running through his yellowed eyes. Vizanx.

                “Reaper. Haggar is ordering you to report to the hull Bay 4 for instructions.” Vizanx rumbled, his voice harsh and edged even through the helmet. Nero gave a wordless nod, again giving a salute before stepping aside. The commander and his entourage passed through, no doubt on their way to escort Lotor to Haggar. Nero did not envy Vizanx for the job. Once Lotor saw his fathers’ weakness, and Haggars’ rise to power, it would be a vicious power struggle. Lotor did not share power lightly.

                Even after so long in space, Nero remembered the cold halls of Zarkon’s ship well. The passages and emblems were burned so strongly into his memory that he doubted they would ever fade. He knew the quickest route there. Yet Nero saw almost no one on his way to the meeting point. No doubt they were all in the far corners of the ship, getting it up to speed as quickly as possible. Those he did encounter were nervous to see his return. Clearly something had happened to cause them all to think twice about a traitor-hunter. Perhaps some had slipped through without Nero’s eye to watch them all.

                He reached the massive doors to the bay, their clean lines and smooth surfaces a sharp contrast to the battered exterior of the command ship. They opened easily and Nero saw that a team of sentinels and droids had already been assembled, making short work of unloading a huge metal ship from the belly of Lotor’s vessel. Nero’s ship.

                “Reaper.”

                Haggar’s voice caught his attention. He turned to face the witch and bowed deeply, one fist resting over his heart. When he glanced up again, Nero became aware of the fine lines across the face of Zarkon’s right hand. Strange. Maybe Voltron had put up more of a fight than Nero had guessed. Haggar was not easily exhausted, nor Zarkon easily bested.

                **“Repid sah. I am here to serve.”**

                Nero’s reply seemed to please her as the beginnings of a smirk curled over her lips. It was not a pleasant sight. All had reason to fear from Haggar, even Reapers. He realized too well the condemnation his words possessed. It would take but a wave of the witches hand to remove Nero from his body to be placed into some metal creature at her whim.

                “Indeed you are. You have been gone too long – a mistake. Traitors have crept by in your absence and we can no longer tolerate this.”

                **“Would you have me hunt them?”**

Haggar paused at this, her eyes devoid of pupils narrowing slightly. Nero wondered if this had been the incorrect response but remained in a submissive stance. He was used to the witches movements. She did not currently mean him harm.

                “No.”

                The answer surprised him. What then would his purpose of being here be, if not to dispose of threats?

                “No, I have a far larger job for you Reaper.” She mused, glancing to the ship just being settled into the bay. “We have been dealt a blow but we will deal a far stronger one. The Altaen princess will be weakened and Voltron too. Find them and seek out their weaknesses. And when they are distracted… destroy the Paladins of Voltron so that we may claim it for our own.”

                **“An honor I will not refuse.”** His voice was a blank slate, devoid of emotion. Mechanical. Empty. Haggar’s twisted grin was his response.

                “I knew you would not disappoint me Reaper. Before you begin, I will ensure you have the tools you need to destroy them. Your ship will be refitted and you… You will report to me this evening. We will have much to do.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

                The days passed by in a haze of experiments. Nero would awaken to find his arms aching or his chest heaving. His muscles replaced with metal and cord. He endured it all in silence, as he had been trained. Showing pain was weakness, one he had learned swift and hard. While he recovered and his ship was being outfitted to help aid his quest in tracking the paladins, Lotor began to take control in his fathers place. Harsh changes were made as Lotor proclaimed his father’s obsession to be weakening the empire. Stricter policies were enforced to ensure that those within Galra controlled territories would not rise up and that anyone who attempted would be swiftly put down.

                The changes would benefit him. Nero had been informed of the Paladin’s exploits to free planets from Galra control. The Balmera. The Olkari, the planet of Taujeer. It would be wise to start with one of those but revealing his hand too early would be met with his certain demise. No, Nero would have to play this cleverly. Even with all the power Haggar could give him these past few days, he would not hold up to Voltron. Not even Zarkon had been capable of that.

                He would have to follow their trail, starting with the Galra who had encountered them. If Nero could discover what specifically they were searching for, he might be able to head them off in an ambush. The most recent encounter had occurred at Beta Traz. It would be valuable to start there.

                The information about the incident was promptly relayed to his newly retrofitted vessel as he adjusted to the changes made to his body. He felt stronger once the initial awkwardness had been worked past. A blade had been embedded into his forearm and a simple thought was enough to spring it free. The edges radiated an eerie purple glow as he moved, leaving behind a streak of glowing energy. A new leg had been grafted into his flesh, the old one gone to make room for metal. It had taken some time to get used to the difference between legs but he adjusted. In addition to the upgrades to his body, new armor had been designed and given to him. The basis was similar enough to his old armor that it took very little time for him to accommodate the change. But it would give him greater mobility and defense in a fight.

                Any edge that he could get was one he would make use of.

                Six days had passed since his return and Nero grew more restless. The retrofit to his ship had been finished and if what he had been told was anything to go by, it would be more dangerous than ever. A great benefit. Nero spent the remainder of his day pacing in the tiny room that housed him for most of his life like a caged creature. He had the information, he had the upgrades. The waiting was a waste of time.

 That evening, Nero received a message and it was blissfully short.

_Commander Tyzan is heading towards Beta Traz. He is to accompany you on your mission as a smoke screen. Make use of him as you will._

_Find Voltron. Destroy the Paladins._


	2. A Trap Set

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a couple weeks but this story still lives. I'm better with OCs than writing other canon characters so I hope I can do the Voltron Crew justice! (And ensure Hunk does other stuff than just food. He's an engineer!)
> 
> Again, Voltron: Legendary Defender does not belong to me.

     True to her word, Haggar sent three ships to aid Nero – a Dreadnought and two smaller carriers. The most she could send without attracting Lotor’s attention. Better still that the commander feared him. Tyzan was unremarkable. The best that could be said about him was that he followed orders without complaint. A valuable skill for those looking for loyal commanders. Nero’s own ship was loaded into the cargo bay where it would be easily accessible in combat – there was no point in wasting fuel on travel.

                “En route to Beta Traz. The Warden has not been notified per your request Reaper.” Tyzan reported to him as they stood on the bridge. Despite Nero standing on lower platform than him, the commander put a lot of space between them. Nero made no notice that he had heard and simply stood at attention, his arms folded comfortably behind him. In his head, he was already starting to analyze any possible info that could lead him to Voltron. The prisoner being held at Beta Traz was a scientist suspected and now confirmed to be working with Galra traitors. It appeared he had the unique ability to create the technology that enabled a massive teleduv to be hidden. The technology had been lost on the Galra though Haggar had wasted no time in researching it. If the rebels and Voltron still had access to such devices, it would be even harder for them to find. This was a… slim lead at best. Without Zarkon’s intense connection with the Black Lion, locating them would not be easy. In theory, Nero could wait at several key locations but without knowing which planets would be of highest priority to them, he risked missing them and making them more powerful. Beta Traz would hold some clue to point him in the right direction.

                The jump did not take more than two days. Nero spent most of it standing on the bridge, thinking of his strategy to all possible outcomes. His silence and stillness unnerved many of the crew and he noticed all but the guardians had retreated as far as possible. His reputation preceded him as always. It didn’t bother him. He was not here to make friends and if he needed to, every single one of them were disposable.

                “Approaching Beta Traz. They want us to identify. How would you like to proceed?” Tyzan said with a stiff salute, trying and failing not to look uncomfortable.

                **“Do not say I am aboard. I do not want the new Warden attempting to hide anything. It is simply a routine inspection as Captain Nouvan was…. Indisposed.”**

                “Yes sir. Return hail them.” Tyzan said and spoke through the channel. At least his voice was calm. The Warden understood he had let Slav escape. If he had still been in charge, Nero assumed he would have declined to allow Nero’s ships aboard. But the Warden now occupied the very cell of the prisoner he had once been responsible for. His yupper, the one thing he seemed to prize even above his own duty, had already been shipped off.

                After a moment, Captain Tyzan received leave to land. Nero turned wordlessly by, pulling the cloak up over his recognizable helmet. He looked odd between the sentinels and guardians as Tyzan headed towards the airlock. But Nero would not be joining him in Beta Traz’s depths. Instead Nero needed access without the new residents snooping about. He didn’t yet know who the rebels were and who were still loyal. Nero followed the retinue to a duct and then vanished into shadows.

                Nero knew the layout of the prison from memory. He slipped through the penitentiary unnoticed, taking mental notes as he went. The damage from the loading bay indicated entrance and exit. To bypass the numerous sentinels hovering outside Beta Traz, as well as the defenses internally, a saboteur would have had to timed their entry or implemented a virus and then make their way to the internal control panel. An impressive feat for what had apparently amounted to three Paladins and only a single Lion. Nero made note to strengthen any firewalls against hacking attempts. Clearly even the high-grade security meant to keep in a genius (albeit an unstable one) had not been enough. The new Warden had sense enough to start repairs at least as Nero dropped easily into the control room. Two sentries immediately whirled towards him, blasters raised. He had an override prepared and simply waved his hand. The two of them dropped powerless to the ground.

                Nero’s work required discretion. He hated distractions.

                The control panel had clearly been wrecked in a hasty escape. Most of the circuits were fired and a virus had wiped most of the data clean. But whichever Paladin this was had left in a hurry. Not everything had been scrubbed clean. Nero found bits of data linking to missing video footage. The video itself had been destroyed but the time and location dates remained. The timing seemed familiar to him but he could not currently place it. He needed the dreadnoughts’ databases. If the Paladin had gone to such great lengths to access and find this piece of information out of the wealth that had been stored here… It seemed Nero had his lead.

 

 

                Pidge, Lance, Keith and Allura were standing in the bridge, suffused in the blue glow of the galaxy map. Allura stood still, her eyes closed in deep concentration. The galaxy map was pulled up, lights blinking white and blue as it scrolled this way and that.

                “We’ve been doing this for two days. Where could Shiro have gone?” Pidge said quietly from where she was sitting on the floor, staring up at the map over her head. After a moment of no answer, Lance and Keith sharing a depressed look, Keith stepped up to put a hand on Pidge’s shoulder. He struggled with his words for a moment. He didn’t know what to say. But he made a promise to Shiro. Keith had to look after the rest of Team Voltron until they could find him. He didn’t feel ready… he was scared. Keith knew how to fight, how to fly… but this was something he wasn’t used to.

                _You better be alive Shiro._

                “I don’t know Pidge. But if he’s out there, we’ll find him.” Keith settled on that. Pidge glanced up at him and nodded. She looked more determined but they were all worried.

                “We should get mad at him when we do. Disappearing after that big fight… that’s just not cool.” Lance said, leaning back against the metal. The flippant tone irritated Keith but he reminded himself to stay collected. That was just Lance. They sat in silence for a little longer until Allura let out a stuttering breath and collapsed to her knees.

                “Allura!”

                All three of them ran to her and Keith immediately put a hand out to help her back up. She accepted it wordlessly, which worried him. She’d been looking relentlessly for their lost leader for two days. She had to be exhausted by now.

                “Anything?” Pidge asked and Allura just shook her head.

                “I’ve looked everywhere but with the Black Lion here, and unmoving, I cannot locate even Shiro’s helmet transmitter.” The princess said, leaning on one of helm consoles heavily. Anxiety settled over Keith heavily. He wasn’t sure he could do this. He still went to the comm.

                “Coran, Hunk, how’s it going with the Black Lion?”

                A loud crash startled all of them as Coran’s voice came over loud (almost too loud) and clear.

                “Well we’ve looked over the Black Lion top to bottom. It is incredible what King Alfor did to build the Black Lion but without the information he used to build it, I’m afraid I can do very little other than basic repairs. We’ll keep looking to see what we can do – we aren’t about to give up yet! Come on Hunk, let’s see if we can at least get the Black Lion powered up again!”

                “Coran’s right. We can’t lose hope yet.” Allura said and regathered herself. Pidge and Lance also stood up.

                “I’ll go see what I can help Coran and Hunk with.” Pidge said and darted off, tucking her computer under her arm as she went.

                “And I guess I’ll stay here then. Keep an eye on Allura.” Lance said with a smile. It grated on Keith’s nerves, how he could stay so incredibly stupid all the time. Allura shot him a dirty look but stood back on the platform.

                “You, Lance, can keep an eye on the map. Look for any alerts that may indicate that Shiro may have shown up.” The princess said sternly.

                “You can count on me Allura.”

                Keith let them be and turned towards the map too. What happened when their hope ran out? What happened when they couldn’t find Shiro? …What happened if Shiro wasn’t going to come back?

                What if?

 

 

                Nero returned to the dreadnought ahead of Commander Tyzan. He wordlessly headed to the comm room and opened up an encrypted channel, inputting the location and time stamp from the missing footage. The computer searched for some time before pulling up three possible records. The first was a riot on the planet Casron. That was unlikely. It would have to be something to do with their recent allies and that riot was swiftly put down. The second showed an image of a prisoner from the Balmera. That was a better option but still not as solid.

                It was the last that caught his interest.

                Video footage from a prison break on a mining planet. A rebel group freed… well. A human. Those that had encountered the paladins before, and details on the human prisoner who had become the Black Paladin indicated he had come in with two others. A quick search of prisoner records showed that while one had escaped, the other human was working on a labor camp on planet Yalune.

                Nero rocked back on his heels, thinking carefully. If the Paladin, possible the Black Paladin, had gone through so much trouble in order to get this information, then this was clearly important to them. Early records had shown the Paladin had fierce loyalty towards them, until the attack the orange-haired human who had escaped. Though, given his previous protective streak and his current position, it was more likely an attempt to save his crewmember rather than a betrayal. It won the prisoner a grudge from the former arena champion but also glory in the arena. Nero remembered that fight well. The Black Paladin was skilled but… such kindness was weakness. It would be the paladin’s downfall.

                Now came the tricky part. To lure in such cautious and surprisingly talented prey, Nero would have to be careful. He could not survive against the full wrath of Voltron so the only option was to somehow separate them. Nero supposed he could leak out some information on less encrypted channels but that might seem too suspicious. He would have to plant some sort of bait. But the problem still remained of getting the message of that bait to Voltron without it seeming too much like a trap. The universe was a large place and Nero had not received reports of the Altean castle since the attack on Central Command.

                …He needed a smoke screen. With quick gestures, Nero navigated to any possible rebel vessels spotted within Galra controlled space. There weren’t many which took him by no surprise. The fleets had been surprisingly more mobile since Lotor’s rising. He tsked. The noise echoed in his helmets as he considered. It would not be long before Lotor turned his attention to the Voltron freed worlds then Nero’s chances of targeting Voltron at a surprise would be lost. Lotor had a powerful strength but he was overconfident. The longer Voltron had, the better chance they would stand. There was a timer ticking down that Nero did not like.

                Rebel ships and leaking data were not options. Nor was the Galra splinter group as Nero had no more notice of their actions from Haggar. Nero supposed he could strike two Voltron controlled worlds at once to split the group. It would give him enough time to disable a few of them long enough to catch the rest. He could use the knowledge of the Black Paladin’s shipmates to split them apart.

                **“Commander Tyzan.”**

                “Yes sir!” The response was almost immediate.

                **“Return to the ship. I have what I need.”** Nero cut the contact there, sending a short report to Haggar. He hesitated for a moment over the current information. Should he inform her about the shipmates of the Black Paladin?

                A moment passed and he deleted that particular part. No doubt Haggar would already know and there was no use in informing her now when he wasn’t even certain that would be a factor in Voltron’s capture. The report on its’ way, Nero strode to the bridge.

 

               

Commander Tyzan awaited him as soon as Nero arrived. The soldiers on the bridge saluted as he entered but he simply ignored them. Tyzan stood in a military pose, awaiting command.

“Where is our heading Reaper?”

**“The cruisers will head to Balmera X-95. The Dreadnought will head to mining world C-25A, Yalune.”**

If the Commander was confused by this idea, he didn’t show it. Perhaps he had more intelligence than originally anticipated.

“Do you mean to retake X-95 with only two cruisers?”

**“No. You will not engage. Simply make your presence known. Once the Altean Ship arrives, jump to Sector 25. We will be taking on certain… prisoners. Alert the wardens of the labor camp to allow some… rebellion. If they have attempted some form of beacon, allow it. Let them think they can escape before we arrive.”**

“A riot break sir? With all due respect-“

 **“Do not question me Tyzan.”** The statement was blunt and harsh edged. Nero stepped closer. Even though Commander Tyzan was taller, the Reaper’s shadow stretched far. He immediately saluted and did as he was told. Still, the Commander did have intelligence to him. There were far too many holes in this plan than Nero would like. But the trap was set.

Now he had only to wait.


End file.
